1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the intercalation of a Lewis acid fluoride in graphite giving rise to products useful in catalysis and as atmospheric pressure storage for normally gaseous Lewis acid fluorides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The intercalation of various salts in the lattice of graphite has previously been described. Thus, it has been reported in J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm., 21, 815 (1973) that while there have been few instances of intercalation of fluorides in graphite, the intercalation of antimony pentafluoride in the lattice of graphite is accomplished by heating a mixture of SbF.sub.5 and graphite at 110.degree.C for a few days. It has also been known to accomplish the conversion of hydrocarbons in the presence of a wide variety of catalysts including those in which the active catalytic component is deposited on a porous inert support such as, for example, graphite. U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,120 describes such process in which the catalyst employed is a porous inert solid support having deposited thereon a catalytic complex of an antimony pentafluoride component and a hydrogen fluoride or a fluorosulfonic acid component. It has been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,553 that hydrocarbon conversion and more specifically alkylation can be carried out in the presence of a Lewis acid such as antimony pentafluoride combined with a Bronsted acid such as fluorosulfuric acid. In none of this prior art, which is the most relevant known, is there any recognition or disclosure of intercalating a Lewis acid fluoride in graphite in the presence of gaseous fluorine, nor is there any disclosure of intercalates of boron trifluoride or phosphorus pentafluoride with the graphite.